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Research and Tech Transfer Help Modernize Colorado's Ditches and Canals Reagan M. Waskom, Colorado Water Resources Research Institute Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition ( SCADA), coupled with advanced decision support systems, is trans- forming water management across the West. This issue of Colorado Water takes a look into how ditch companies and water districts are working with industry, government, and university researchers to modernize canals with these new tools to increase operational efficiency. Colorado has a rich history of ditch and canal development, and has been a leader in canal innovation and measure- ment technology. Irrigation in the modern era of Colorado started in the late 1850's along the bottomlands adjoining streams, as settlers diverted water. Hardy farmers quickly learned that irrigation ditches were going to be essential to profitable agricultural enterprises, but building ditches was no minor task! Pioneers with oxen and shovels worked cooperatively to construct virtual rivers across previously and plains, but not without difficulties. In 1872, the banks of Union Colony Ditch Number Two failed to hold, causing a minor disaster. After this experience, the colonists realized they needed competent water engineers to design, install and maintain canals. It is remarkable how many of the early Colorado ditches have stood the test of time. Once Colorado's water pioneers had the ditches built and flowing, the tricky but essential process of measuring and distributing the water began. Weirs were first employed to measure flow volumes, but had to be properly designed and installed to give reliable measurements. The "Max Clark Box", invented by and named after a Union Colony mem- ber, slowed the velocity of water approaching a weir, mak- ing it easier to measure. Later, engineers such as Elwood Mead and Ralph Parshall devoted their research to develop- ing methods for accurate measurement of flowing water. Research on methods to improve water measurement and distribution continue to this day. There are hundreds of ditch companies and literally thou- sands of miles of ditches and canals in Colorado, moving millions of acre feet of water annually. Most agricultural ditches in Colorado are owned by the water users them- selves, with maintenance and oversight often performed by volunteer members. Larger canals are most often owned by shareholders of a mutual ditch company, led by a Board of Directors, and managed by a paid staff. Many ditch companies operate as private nonprofit organizations with small budgets. For many years ditch riders have allocated ditch water according to share ownership and their personal knowledge of system intricacies, using division boxes to divide and measure flow. While demand for these services is as great as ever, more accurate, centralized monitoring and control is needed as population growth and new water demands take the slack out of Colorado's water system. Water managers are increasingly under pressure to tightly control flows and deliveries, and to account for every foot of water in their systems. Guest authors Steve Smith and Don Magnuson provide Colorado Water readers with a great introductory article on SCADA fundamentals and examples of ditch modernization (see page 4). The recent drought has accelerated a modernization trend already underway across the West. SCADA offers significant promise to help water managers, but raw data alone does not meet the information require- ments of complex management systems. To be useful, data must be transformed into information that can be employed to make better decisions. New decision support software helps water managers make real time decisions, integrat- ing data and expert knowledge of the system. An article by Professor Oad and graduate student Kristoph Kinzli, on page 10, describes one effort to develop and implement a decision support system. Until recently, these tools have been too expensive for most small water districts. Several ditch companies and districts in Colorado have recently benefited from the Bureau of Reclamation' Water 2025 cost -share program, which Tom Gill describes in his article on canal modernization projects on page 14. The goal of canal modernization is to achieve increased op- erational efficiency and tighter control of water resources, resulting in greater conservation and water security. The research efforts to develop modern canal systems are an excellent example of partnership between industry, govern- ment, higher education, and the water management com- munity. On another note, input from readers of Colorado Water is always accepted and appreciated. This month we ask our readers to take a little extra time to help us in our effort to continue providing a relevant newsletter that serves as a linkage between higher education and water managers and water users. On page 35 you will find a simple one -page survey that we ask you to take a few minutes to complete and fax back to us. We greatly value your input and look forward to hearing from you soon.